Commemorating and praising the Honorable
John Glenn on the 50th anniversary of his historic orbital space
flight.

Whereas John Glenn's 1962 space flight aboard Friendship 7
was a pivotal moment in United States history;

Whereas the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics launched
Sputnik I on October 4, 1957, and the people of the United States were
immediately alarmed that the Nation was no longer the world’s technological
leader;

Whereas the United States determined that a presence in
outer space was critically important to its national security during the Cold
War;

Whereas to meet this challenge the National Advisory
Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was reorganized on October 1, 1958, into the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to pioneer the future in
space exploration, scientific discovery, and aeronautics research;

Whereas John Glenn of New Concord, Ohio, joined the United
States Navy Reserve as an aviation cadet following the bombing of Pearl
Harbor;

Whereas John Glenn was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in
the United States Marine Corps on March 31, 1943;

Whereas John Glenn flew 59 combat missions flying the FU–4
Corsair in the South Pacific during World War II and was awarded two
Distinguished Flying Crosses;

Whereas John Glenn flew 63 combat missions in the F9F
Panther and 27 combat missions in the F–86 Sabre in the Korean War and received
two Distinguished Flying Crosses;

Whereas John Glenn was assigned as a test pilot at Test
Pilot School at Naval Air Station Patuxent River and on July 16, 1957, flew the
first transcontinental flight, Project Bullet, averaging speeds greater than
the speed of sound travelling 2,446 miles in 3 hours 23 minutes and 8.1 seconds
from Los Alamitos, California, to Floyd Bennett Field, New York, in a F8U
Crusader and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross;

Whereas NASA selected 7 United States Armed Forces test
pilots, including Major John H. Glenn, Jr., USMC, to volunteer and fly in its
manned space program, Project Mercury on April 9, 1959;

Whereas after numerous delays, John Glenn boarded his
Mercury capsule named Friendship 7 on February 20, 1962;

Whereas the world stopped as the Atlas rocket with 360,000
pounds of thrust lifted Friendship 7 off the launch pad with the voice of
fellow astronaut Scott Carpenter at mission control wishing “Godspeed John
Glenn”;

Whereas Glenn felt 6 times the force of gravity on lift
off and then once in space, we heard his voice crackling over the radio “Zero-g
and I feel fine. Capsule is turning around. Oh, that view is
tremendous!”;

Whereas great concern was raised about indications that
the heat shield might not be properly attached which would result in the fiery
destruction of the spacecraft and astronaut upon reentry;

Whereas with a successful splashdown, John Glenn had
reached speeds of over 18,000 miles per hour, and in 4 hours 55 minutes and 23
seconds became the first United States citizen to orbit the Earth, rocketing
the Nation back into the space race and taking a vital step on man’s journey to
the moon;

Whereas John Glenn’s public service career was far from
over being elected Ohio’s United States Senator in 1974 and serving as the
first Ohioan popularly elected to 4 terms and serving an Ohio record of 24
years consecutive years;

Whereas having announced his retirement from the Senate,
NASA selected Glenn as a Payload Specialist on the Space Shuttle Discovery
Mission STS–95;

Whereas Glenn spent 9 days from October 29 until November
7, 1998, in space undergoing various experiments to research possible links
between the human aging process and the negative symptoms experienced by
astronauts exposed for a lengthy period of time to the weightlessness of space
and at age 77 becoming the oldest United States citizen to travel into
space;

Whereas John Glenn is the recipient of numerous awards
including 6 Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Congressional Space of Medal of
Honor, and the Congressional Gold Medal;

Whereas John Glenn continues to inspire a new generation
of leaders at the John Glenn School of Public Affairs at the Ohio State
University; and

Whereas John Glenn and his childhood sweetheart, Anna
Margaret Castor, Annie, have celebrated 68 years of marriage together and are
blessed with 2 children, John David Glenn and Carolyn Ann Glenn, and grandsons
Daniel and Zachary: Now, therefore, be it

honors and praises
John Glenn on the occasion of this anniversary and for his lifetime of service;
and

(3)

acknowledges and
affirms that John Glenn, pilot, astronaut, soldier, Senator, and statesman, has
faithfully served his State and Nation in war and peace and is truly and will
always remain a United States hero.